Willem Jacob Rozendaal was a gifted artist, both in the field of industrial design and the liberal arts. His artistic career began around 1920 designing stained glass windows. He also made woodcuts, which were exhibited for the first time in 1922 at the Rotterdam artists' association De Branding. Two years later, W.J. Rozendaal settled in Maastricht, where he worked until 1937 at the pottery factory De Sphinx and then (1928) as a designer of artistic utility glass at the Kristalunie. He also designed book covers and occasional printing. In 1937 the artist moves to The Hague to dedicate himself to painting and watercolouring, mainly portraits, still lifes and flowers. He is also a teacher at the Academy of Visual Arts. Together with Paul Citroen, among others, he ensures a progressive artistic climate there.